struggling with running

Question
Hi, 3 months ago I picked up running again.  In high school and college I played sports, ran, was VERY active. Since starting my first year as a teacher, life has been crazy and not so much time for that. Anyway, I picked it back up a few months ago..and I'm trying to hard to run a 5k. I want it to come easy. But I feel the last few runs I have had, have been HORRIBLE! (only going 1 mile, or going 2 but having to stop and walk).  I don't get it because a week or two ago, I was able to run 3 miles and it felt easy. Am I reaching a plateau? Am I not pushing myself hard enough?? Also through this running thing, I feel like I am not losing weight, only maintaining, or gaining.  I am lifting a lot also, so I know some of it its muscle gain.  It is just so frustrating that running can't be more easy to me. I'm 25 years old, it should be easier! Why are some days soo easy, and others so hard? How do I build myself up to where 3 miles will be easy and then I can work on doing 4 miles.  I'd love to run a marathon, but after this week, I don't know if I can!

Answer
You have a lot of concerns here, and I should say at first that don't be worrying about a marathon right now.  Some people just aren't cut out for marathon training distances, just as some folks aren't good at swimming or playing another sport.  There's a huge misconception in running that if you can run a 5K, someday you can run a marathon, too, and that's not really true.  

One problem you are probably facing is the fact that most runners will run at the same paces and similar distances at the same frequencies and this causes a lot of plateauing.  Mainly its due to the body just getting used to the same old, same old stuff and the runner is expecting it to get better.  I get this alot with folks who say "I run 3 miles a day, 5 days a week, for the last 3 months and I'm not getting anywhere...why?"  It is because of trying to do the same thing and expecting something else to happen.  

Other factors that cause poor runs now & then are lack of sleep, fatigue from work & stress, and if you are lifting a lot, your muscles & bones are also trying to recover from the lifting, which can make running seem miserable if you've had tough workouts.  

As a guide, I would suggest going to my ASAPWorkouts.com site and reading some articles there.  One I have made for my 1MileNation.com blog site, as a startup guide for running shorter distances, called "the 3-2-1 Approach To Running A Faster Mile".  it is at http://asapworkouts.com/321.pdf

Also, check out http://asapworkouts.com/turbo.pdf for another read on short burst, high intensity workouts to shake up a running routine for the better.

Rick Karboviak